Abstract

Blickhan, R. and Full, R.J. 1992. Mechanical work in terrestrial locomotion. In Biomechanics: Structures and Systems A Practical Approach. (ed. A. Biewener). IRL at Oxford University Press. New York. pp. 75-96.

A growing crisis in organismal biology is the lack of use by other investigators of comparative biomechanics when it is essential to the problem at hand. We felt this problem is in large part due to the technical nature of the field. We composed this chapter to strip away some of the complexity in both the equipment and theory used. The book is aimed at knowledgeable investigators and intimidated graduate students who may not otherwise tackle their problem with a rigorous quantitative approach when one is necessary. This chapter focused on mechanical work in terrestrial locomotion which includes sections on: 1. Measurement of external work. This includes the calculation of energy fluctuations of the center of mass from ground reaction force measurements, the design features of force platforms for mechanical work measurements, data processing, signal integration and calibration and check of hardware, electronic circuits and software; 2. Calculation of joint and muscle work and power; 3. Evaluation of techniques used to examine the mechanical work in terrestrial locomotion; 4. Energy exchange within segments and transfer between segments. This included an important discussion of energy production and absorption which can often confound interpretations.